New video project counters anti-Gay propaganda
by Tom Flint
New Gay-positive videos are available for widespread
distribution throughout the state to counter anti-Gay propaganda
currently being circulated by supporters of Initiative 608 and 610.
The videos are designed to be aired on public access television
stations or other mass communication outlets.
Fundamentalists have created havoc in recent years with their
sophisticated exploitation of videos and electronic media to spread
anti-Gay propaganda and misinformation, while human rights groups
have largely failed to use video to their advantage.
A new project by Olympia Pictures is producing a series of
videos designed to give accurate information about Gay/Lesbian
lives and neutralize the negative stereotypes in such videos as the
Gay Agenda.
During the 80s, Fundamentalists ministers known as
"televangelists" pioneered a new form of media outreach using
videos, cable television, and satellite dish to spread their
message.
Rev Pat Robertson arose as the head of a vast media empire
spanning more than seventy five countries. His show "The 700 Club"
is viewed by 7 million people weekly in the United States. He is
also founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network
(CBN) and the International Family Entertainment Incorporated,
which produces "pro-family" films and videos.
The video assault against Gays and Lesbians escalated in the
past to years with The Gay Agenda, Gay Rights - Special Rights and
a host of videos featuring distorted coverage of the National March
on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
As the anti-Gay initiative campaign escalates in Washington
state, propaganda videos will be widely distributed and aired on
local television stations. Already public access stations in Kitsap
and Thurston counties have begun airing The Gay Agenda and similar
videos.
Human rights advocates are far behind in using videos and
electronic media to spread their message, and few quality videos
are available to counter the negative stereotypes being promoted by
the right wing. When The Gay Agenda began airing in Thurston
County, station managers approached Marilyn Freeman, a local
producer in Olympia, seeking suggestions for videos that might
offer a more balanced view of Gays and Lesbians. Freeman could
offer no suggestions and decided she would have to produce her own
videos to fill the vacuum.
Thus was the birth of the American Values video series, by
Olympia Pictures, a group in Olympia, Washington.
The films series will eventually include 12 half-hour
installments focusing on Gay/Lesbian civil rights from various
angles, available to local public access cable stations. Hands Off
Washington Thurston county is acting as an advisory group to the
project.
The American Values series will cover a wide range of human
rights issues related to Gays and Lesbians. In one episode
Holocaust survivors will discuss the parallels between anti-
semitism and anti-Gay bigotry, and the logical conclusions of hate
campaigns.
Another episode will focus on Gay youth, the challenges they
face.
The American Values series began production last week with the
first instalment focusing ont he families of Gays and Lesbians, and
how the families are affected by the anti-Gay bias in society.
Ministers from welcoming congregations will provide a counter-
point to those who attack Gays and Lesbians because of religious
doctrine in an episode.
Other topics to be discussed during the series includes
violence against Gay people, discrimination in the work place,
shock therapies and other attempts to 'cure' gay people, and legal
analysis of the constitutional issues raised by the anti-Gay
initiatives.
One video will feature straight people discussing their
process of overcoming their homophobia.
The series will be produced along an interview format with
Rieko Callner hosting. Callner, a woman of Japanese/Jewish-
Lithuanian descent, is a human rights advocate and prosecuting
attorney for the City of Olympia.
For more information about ways to have the videos aired in
your local public access stateion contact: Olympia Pictures, POB
341, Olympia Washington, 98507-0341; telephone 206-438-0341.